Adelphia’s Increase in Rates Grates

The day Adelphia Communications Corp. filed for bankruptcy protection, I received my monthly bill from the company for cable service [“Adelphia Submits Bankruptcy Filing,� June 26].

Under “Important News About Your Cable Services,� the bill listed new rate information. This listing compared the new prices, commencing next month, with the current prices.

Guess what--the new prices are all higher than the current ones. The price increases range from 3% to more than 33%. I guess we’re one of the fortunate ones--our bill will go up by approximately 6%.

Amazing timing. Do you think the increases are to provide “golden parachutes� for the outgoing management (having performed such a stellar job) or to “sweeten� the pot for any prospective bidders for the remains of the company?

Jack Frisch

Manhattan Beach

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Wasn’t it just a year or so ago that Adelphia spokesman Paul Heimel told us Adelphia was blocking its subscribers’ access to adult films because of the “small-town values� of its owners, the Rigas family?

“They don’t believe in chasing the almighty buck at the sacrifice of your personal values,� Heimel said.

While I’m as entertained as anyone by the sight of hypocrites being flattened by a few tons of irony, I still feel bad for the stockholders whose investments were pillaged under the guise of “family values.�

Steve Hoffmann

Redondo Beach